Matt Jackson, everyman

Conference room meetings are littered with landmines.

Where should I sit? Is it cool to get up and refill my coffee? If I do, am I supposed to leave the door open or closed?

And then there's the challenge of manners and decorum. You have to look your fellow meeting-goers in the eyes. And they have to look you in yours. Nodding and indicating your understanding is an essential skill. You have to keep most of your real feelings and negative reactions buried, even if the leaders insist that they want everyone to be open and honest with their feedback.

Those of us who are veterans of conference room meetings know what to do, what to say and what not to say, to avoid those landmines. And we know what it looks like when a novice is navigating that setting and hasn't yet mastered that self control.

FTR and the Young Bucks had a conference room meeting ahead of their match at AEW Revolution. Having not mastered the art of suppressing the inevitable grievances that would come up, they gave voice to the things that so many of us wish we could say in meetings.

The meeting did not go well. When it ended early, none of them even said that they would need to circle back or touch base.

Amateurs.

"It's taking everything in our bodies and our souls not to reach across this desk and kick the living shit out of you, right now, right here."

- All of us in our minds, at some point, in a meeting. Also Matt Jackson.

FTR and the Young Bucks always have a ready-made feud. Dating back to their first confrontation in AEW, they have been able to generate buzz by making it about legacy. Each match is another entry in discussions about the greatest tag teams ever.

They have added to that angle here with FTR attacking the Bucks' family. I like this wrinkle. It doesn't take much to make me excited for a match between FTR and the Bucks. But this extra bit of sauce adds even more intrigue for their upcoming match.

"You're not mature enough to handle this professionally. We will show ourselves out. We will remove ourselves from this trouble situation. Sorry you're not mature enough to handle this."

- All of us in our minds, at some point, in a meeting. Also Cash Wheeler.

Something fun: AEW has the full match of the first chapter of FTR vs. Young Bucks up on their YouTube.

Tommaso Ciampa has been busy in his couple months with AEW.

He's sporting an awesome gray beard, something I appreciate as a fellow 40-year-old-who-is-going-gray. He debuted an excellent entrance and tore the house down in his first match against Mark Briscoe.

Ciampa has already been a champion and dropped a championship. And while it looked like he was on a collision course with the other contenders for the TNT Championship in his pursuit to reclaim "Silvie," it now looks like he might be otherwise occupied.

Add turning heel to Ciampa's first month with AEW. What a busy guy!

People wanted to cheer him when he first arrived, and rightfully so. He's been one of my favorite wrestlers for a long time now. He was pulling it off as a fan favorite, but let's be honest: Ciampa should be a bad guy. He's way too good at it.

Speaking of FTR and the Bucks, this is going to rule.

More than six years into the company's existence, we have certainly reached the point of diminishing returns on the "holy shit" chant in AEW.

In the first couple years, the chant was distinct and loud and meaningful. It gave voice to the excitement of watching incredible performances in the ring. For many fans, it was also a bit of awe at a different style. The chant often punctuated a flurry of fast and high-flying moves that might actually make you say "holy shit!"

It doesn't carry the same significance now. Not that I'm saying fans should stop. I still think it's fun, and I still like any chant that conveys joy and support at a wrestling show. We should tell these wrestlers that we appreciate their hard work.

I was thinking about this while Speedball Mike Bailey flew around the ring last Wednesday night. That guy earned his "holy shit" chant. Everyone in the trios match between "Jet Set Rodeo" and the Don Callis Family was awesome. But Bailey stood out, which is no small feat in a match with Hangman Adam Page and Kazuchika Okada.

The chants for Speedball were right out of year one of AEW.

As for that finish, I really appreciate the mileage that AEW continues to get out of people grabbing Hangman's leg before he launches for the "buckshot lariat." Between that and MJF doming him with the Dynamite diamond ring, they were playing the hits.

There's quite the lineup of contenders for the AEW World Championship. Any option for the next story after Revolution will be fun. I'm curious which direction things will go, because it sure feels like there's plenty of meat left on the bone between Hangman and MJF regardless of the winner in Sunday's Texas death match.

Speaking of that death match, let's ask the question: will I be able to watch that entire match?

Will I be covering my eyes for most of it, peaking through occasionally so I know what's happening?

One last thought on Sunday's main event: does DraftKings have a prop bet for how many times one wrestler will bite another at Revolution? With a death match on the card, take the over.

(Don't actually bet on wrestling. Also, DraftKings and the other companies of their ilk are terrible and I hate the way they are intertwined with sports leagues).

Thekla cut a great promo on Saturday night. The AEW Women's Champion also handled it well when a handful of losers started the "what" chant. It isn't 1997 anymore, fellas (because you know they are dudes, every time). Let it go and quit trying to ruin the show.

Gabe Kidd can never be a babyface. I think it's actually impossible, just like those actors who can only be villains. There's just no way you're cheering for that guy, ever. And I'm guessing he likes it that way.

Okada, Kyle Fletcher, and Mark Davis are the new Trios Champs, as noted earlier. That's excellent. I still mostly don't care about those belts, but Fletcher and Okada could make me care.

Speaking of AEW's busiest heel faction, this line from Excalibur made me laugh: "The Don Callis Family is loaded with stooges and data analysts."

"Are you stupid, or are you dumb?"

- All of us in our minds, at some point, in a meeting. Also Daniel Garcia.

The 2026 edition of AEW Revolution is shaping up to be a lot of fun. I'll be here next week to talk about it. Until then, I admire your restraint anytime you're sitting in a conference room for another meeting.